The present invention pertains to the field of publishing musical scores, and more specifically the publishing of digitized musical scores.
The publishing of musical scores is traditionally implemented by means of conventional printing methods. This requires the maintenance of a stock of scores by the dealer, and creates availability problems due to the large number of musical scores in the repertoire, and the relatively limited number of musicians and their geographic dispersion.
In the state of the art, information systems have been proposed for the printing of musical scores. As an example, European patent EP 53393 describes a musical-score printing system comprising:
1. a musical-data input device for inputting the data on a musical score into said system;
2. a data processing system for processing the data originating from said musical-data input device in predetermined processing codes;
3. a first memory for storing the processing codes output by said data processing device;
4. an editing device for editing the output from the first memory according to a predetermined program;
5. a second memory for storing the musical codes output by said editing device; a character memory for storing the printing matrices corresponding to said musical codes;
6. and a photocomposition machine for forming a proof copy of said musical score as a function of the musical codes stemming from said second memory and the printing matrices stemming from said character memory.
This equipment enables simplification and automation of the publishing of musical scores, but does not make it possible to resolve the problem of the optimal distribution of the scores.
The object of the present invention is to propose a process that provides for the instantaneous availability of musical scores in all locations, with the possibility of personalizing the published scores.
The invention entails a remote publishing process and system for personalized scores, notably so as to allow schools of music or musical groups to publish personalized scores.
For this purpose, the invention pertains, in its broadest meaning, to a process for the remote publishing of musical scores, characterized in that a data base comprising a file of digitized scores and a file comprising search criteria are stored in the memory of a server, with the server having communication means for access to the search file by a remote client workstation, and for receiving specific digital data sent by the client workstation to the server, and means for generating a downloadable file corresponding to the merger of the specific digital data and the selected digitized score file, with said downloadable file being a digital image file comprising means to limit the number of reproductions.
The downloadable image file preferably has means to limit the number of printings by the client workstation.
Activation of the downloading is advantageously contingent on the receipt by the server of a confirmation of an online payment.
According to a preferred mode of implementation, the server has means for displaying on the client workstation a search criteria input screen for the selection of the desired search criterion or criteria.
The server preferably has means for displaying on the client workstation a presentation screen of the products corresponding to the client""s search in the form of a table comprising the principal information pertaining to the products.
According to a variant, the server has means for displaying on the client workstation a presentation screen of the details of a selected product.
According to a preferred mode of implementation, the server has steganographic means for marking the downloaded image files with a unique identifier.